Wire-end connector structure



May 26, 1970 J. R. FILSON 3,514,140

WIRE-END CONNECTOR STRUCTURE Filed March 4. 1968 A 7mm/fx 3,514,740WIRE-END CONNECTOR STRUCTURE John Richard Fils-on, 95 N. Lakeside Drive,Medford, NJ. 08055 Filed Mar. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 710,211 Int. Cl. H02r13/28 U.S. Cl. 339-47 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This inventionis essentially concerned with a wire connectorf wherein a generally fiatmember is provided with apair.- of resilient pressure fingers extendinglaterally inwardly on one side of the fiat member, and a tongue extendslongitudinally obliquely outward from one end of the fiat member, sothatan element insertable betweer-zfthe receiver member and fingers isfrictionally 'retained therein by engagement with the fingers, receivermember and tongue.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION While there have been provided a widevariety of wireend connectors or terminals, such connectors or terminalsare generally adapted for connection only to other ter- .minalsf orconnectors, or elements of precise size and configuration. Hence,versatility in use of prior connectors has been seriously limited.

SUMMARY Accordingly, it is an important object of the present inventionto provide a wire connector or terminal which is capable of connectionto a wide variety of shapes and sizes v of elements or other connectors,and which is further ,adapted for connection to an identical connector,so that there is afforded an extreme versatility in use, and substantialeconomies are effected both in manufacture and stockkecpingrequirements.

RIEF DEscrPTroN oF THE DRAWING FIG; 1 is a perspective View showing awire connec tor constructed in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a pair of identical wire connectors of thepresent invention prior to connection thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the wire connectors of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the connectors intheir joined condition.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken generally along the line5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6- is a transverse sectional view taken generally along the line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal side elevational view showing a connector ofFIG. 1 as connected to a piece of strip stock.

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken generally along the line 8-8of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view taken generally along the line 99 of FIG. 8.

United States Patent O 3,514,740 Patented May 26, 1970 ICC IReferringnow more particularly to the drawing, and specifically to FIG. 1thereof, a wire connector of the present invention is there generallydesignated 20, and may advantageously be integrally fabricated ofsuitably conductive, resilient sheet material, such as nonferrousmetals, or the like. The conductor 20 includes a generally rectangular,substantially fiat receiver member 21 and extending integrally,longitudinally outward from one end thereof a fastener part 22. Thefastener part 22 may assume an open-ended tubular configuration forreception therein of a conductor or wire end. The fastener part 22 maybe clinched or crimped about the wire end for fixed securement theretoin any conventional manner. In practice, the fastener part 22 may beformed by bending an integral extension of the receiver member 21 into atubular formation with the opposite side edges in proximity, the tubularfastener part being located to one side of the receiver member, upwardthereof as seen in FIG. l. In bending of the fastener part 22, theadjacent side edge portions 23 of the receiver member may be bentupwardly to define rigidifying flanges.

Extending generally longitudinally outwardly from the other end of thereceiver member 21, remote from the fastener part 22, is a tongue 25.The tongue 25 may be of generally rectangular configuration, integralwith the receiver member, and generally flat while defining a slightdihedral angle with the receiver member, as along a laterally extendingjuncture 26. As best seen in FIG. 3, the tongue 25 extends generallylongitudinally outwardly from the receiver part 21, and extends slightlyobliquely upwardly or toward the upper side of the receiver member. Thetongue 25 is generally laterally coextensive witih the receiver memberand terminates at its outer end in a tapered or feather edge 27.

To one side of the receiver member 21, the upper side thereof, a pair ofresilient pressure fingers 30 extend laterally inwardly from spacedregions of the receiver member terminating short of each other inadjacent spaced relation with respect to the upper face of the receivermember. More specifically, the resilient pressure fingers 30 each extendfrom a respective side edge of the receiver -member 21, as by anupwardly extending laterally outer portion 31, and extend thence in anarcuately bent region 32 having its concave side facing downwardly ortoward the receiving member. The concave regions 32 of the pressurefingers 30 terminate in free ends or edges 33 extending downwardlytoward and terminating short of the receiver member, the longitudinaldimension of the free finger ends 33 extending longitudinally of thereceiver member 21. Further, the finger ends 33 are beveled orchamfered, as at 34 toward the tongue 25. The beveled or chamfered edges34 define cam surfaces, as will appear presently.

The receiver member 21 and tongue 25 may be formed with detent means ofsuitable formation. One Such detent means is shown at 35 and 36, theformer being an upset portion defining a male protuberance deformedupwardly of the material of receiver member 21. The latter may bedefined by a downwardly deformed region to provide a recess in the uppersurface of the tongue 25. In the illustrated embodiment, the detentformations 35 and 36 are located along a longitudinal centerline of thereceiver member 21 and tongue 25, the protuberance 35 being located onone side of the juncture line or bend 26 and the recess 36 being locatedon the other side of the juncture line.

In FIG. 2 are shown a pair of substantially identical 3 wire connectors20 arranged in end-to-end spaced relation with their tongues 25proximate to each other prior to joinder of the connectors. In thiscondition one connector 20, the leftward connector faces in onedirection, say upwardly, and the other, right-hand connector 20 facesdownwardly, best seen in FIG. 3.

Upon movement of the connectors 20` of FIGS. 2 and 3 longitudinally orendwise toward each other, an intertting engagement is achieved as shownin FIGS. 4-6. It will there be seen that the tongue 2:5 of eachconnector has engaged between the receiver member 21 and fingers 30 ofthe other connector. In this condition, the tongues 25 have beenresiliently deflected to a relatively straight or aligned relation withtheir respective receiver members 21, see FIG. 5. Also, the pressurefingers 30, specifically the free ends 33 of the pressure lingers engagewith the received tongues 25, being resiliently deflected thereby.Hence, the tongue 25 of each connector 20* is frictionally held inposition by the resilient deflection of the other tongue and fingers 30of the other connector. Of course, interengagement is facilitated byriding of the feathered tongue edges 27 along the cammed finger surfaces34.

In addition, in the fully inserted condition of FIG. 5, it will be seenthat the detents 35 and 36 of respective connectors are snapped intomating or interfitting engagement with each other to enhance thefrictional retention by the deiiected tongues and fingers. Of course,the connectors may be disengaged by deliberate endwise separation, asdesired.

While a pair of connectors 20 are readily connectable and disconnectablewith respect to each other, it is seen in FIGS. 7-9 that a singleconnector 20 may be employed in conjunction with a simple tongue, flatstrip or Ibar 40 for detachable connection to the connector.

That is, the inserted element 40 may assume a wide variety of shapes andsizes, and be engageable into the connector 20 of FIGS. 7-9. Further,upon insertion of the element 40, the normally obliquely disposed tongue25 is resiliently iiexed downward, as seen in the drawing, and uponfurther insertion of the element 40 between the receiver member 21 andresilient pressure fingers 30, the latter are deflected upward, as bestseen in FIGS. 8 and 9. The arcuate configuration of pressure fingers 30,in addition to the beveled cam surface 34 permit of inserting elements40 of substantial variation in size and shape, while all such elementsare effectively retained in their inserted position by the frictionalholding action of resiliently deflected fingers 30 and tongue 25. Also,the upset male protuberance or detent 3'5 provides a bearing point foreffective holding action of the insertion element 40 in the connector20. Of course, deliberate withdrawal of the insertion element `40 may beeffected, as desired.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides awire connector which fully accomplishes its intended objects and is welladapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and wide versatilityin use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by wayof illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, itis understood that certain changes and modifications may be made withinthe spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire connector comprising a generally flat receiver member, afastener part extending outwardly from one end of said receiver memberfor securement to a wire end, a pair of resilient pressure fingersextending laterally inwardly from spaced regions of said receiver membertoward and terminating short of each other on one side of and inadjacent spaced relation with one face of said receiver member, and aresiliently deectable tongue extending outwardly from the other end ofsaid receiver member generally longitudinally of and obliquely towardsaid one side of said receiver member, the relative resiliency betweensaid pair of resilient pressure fingers and said tongue being such thatsaid tongue is deected to a position generally coplanar with saidreceiver member when an elongate element is inserted in position betweensaid receiver member and said fingers and in engagement with saidtongue, said elongated member being frictionally retained in saidposition by resilient deflection of said lingers and tongue.

2. A wire connector according to claim 1, said pressure iingers eachbeing arcuately bent and having its concave side facing toward saidreceiver member, the free ends of said fingers extending toward andterminating short of said receiver member, whereby inserted elements ofdifferent dimensions are adapted to be retained in said position.

3. A wire connector according to claim 2, said fingers having their freeends beveled toward said other end of said receiver member, foraccommodating relatively large inserted elements.

4. A wire connector according to claim 1, in combination with a secondwire connector comprising a second generally fiat receiver member, asecond Ifastener part extending outwardly from one end of said vsecondreceiver member for securement to an additional wire end, a second pairof resilient pressure fingers extending laterally inwardly from spacedregions of said second receiver member toward and terminating short ofeach other on one side of and in adjacent spaced relation with one faceof said second receiver member, and a second resiliently deflectabletongue extending outwardly from the other end of said second receivermember generally longitudinally of and oblique to said one side of saidsecond receiver member, whereby the tongue of each wire connector isinsertable in position between the receiver member and fingers of theother wire connector and frictionally retained in said position byresilient deiiection of said fingers and tongues.

5. The combination according to claim 4, in combination with detentmeans on said firstand second-mentioned receiver members and tongues forinterlitting engagement with each other.

6. The combination according to claim 5, said detent means comprising aprotuberance and depression on each of said receiver members and tonguesfor snap interiitting engagement with each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,579,739 12/1951 Hayes.2,744,244 5/1956 Schumacher et al 339--47 2,974,302 3/1961 Ellis.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner P. A. CLIFFORD, Assistant ExaminerUs. c1. xn. 339-258; 287-64

